Meeting Minutes. Held on :

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1 Southport Old Links Golf Club Meeting Minutes Last revised : 05 February 2018 Held on : Wednesday 13 December 2017 Created by : General Manager Meeting Name: SOLGC Annual General Meeting Meeting Date: Wednesday 13 December 2017 Meeting Time: 7:30pm Venue: SOLGC Clubhouse Main Lounge Postcode: PR9 7QS Mr L Mann (Chairman), Mr A Pilkington (Gent s Captain), Mrs C Mann (Ladies Captain), Mr K Rimmer (Gent s Vice Captain), Mrs S O Connor (Ladies Vice Captain), Mr J Hall Attendees: (Treasurer), Mr S Leddy, Mr J Ogden, Mr A Richardson, Mr P Rosenthal, Mrs L Staniforth, Mrs D Vickers (Council), Mr A Kenyon (General Manager) & 46 other voting Members. Apologies: Received from 21 Members Proposed Agenda: 1. Council Overview of the Year 2. Approval of the Minutes of the Extraordinary General Meeting held on Wednesday 04 October Approval of the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday 07 December Matters arising. 5. Statement of Accounts and Balance Sheet as at 31 August 2017 and the report of the Treasurer / Accountants. 6. Election of Accountants 7. Council propose that Membership Subscriptions for 2018 be set at: - 8. Proposals & Rule Changes 9. Election of Officers 10. Election of Council Members 11. Any other pre notified business. Anything members wish to be discussed, answered or noted at the AGM must be submitted in writing to the Club by Friday 08 December Meeting Minutes: 1. Council Overview of the Year The Chairman called the meeting to order and welcomed all attendees. After any outstanding apologies were added, members were asked to take a moment to reflect on those lost during the year and especially the very recent passing of the 2015 Lady Captain. The Chairman explained the steps forward and advancement of the Governance in the Club and gave an overview of the EGM rules changes that had been discussed on 04 October

2 Congratulations were given to those who had success in the golfing year and especially mentioned the men s handicap team league win and the colts achievement to get to their league finals. In the Ladies section a great achievement for the club was in the Liverpool Society of Lady Golf Captains, with two ladies winning the Silver Jubilee Cup and these two ladies again contributing in SOLGC winning the overall Golden Jubilee Cup which was a very special effort. The Chairman was also pleased with the new Chairman s Competition created for the ladies to play for. Congratulations on a new course record this year to Mr Luke Shepherd. Mr J R Exley presented the greens report on behalf of Mr M Segar who was absent due to illness. This has been Simon Barkers first full year as Head Greenkeeper and he has had to adjust to the style of our course. Feedback on Simon s work has been excellent from both members and visitors alike. Mr J R Exley went on to advise that the issue with the green speeds from the start of the season had been resolved with adjusting the cutting height to increase the speed. STRI have reported that current condition of the course is good and passed comment that the Head Greenkeeper is passionate and knowledgeable about his work and feel he is doing a great job. The changeable weather conditions have dictated what work can be done. Improvements to the pathway around the putting green which have been funded in part by the seniors section. New hole cups and flags and replacement of steps have all being completed this year. New pines have been planted on the 8 th and are settling well and the realignment of the 4 th has now settled in well and will continue to be overseen as the development of the new housing area continues. There has been a decrease in trees on the course which has been undertaken on the advice of STRI to allow sunlight and airflow to penetrate tees and greens. The divot bags have had some success but out of 100 bags purchased only 22 remain and a plea to use and a return of these was put forward. The new machines such as the top dresser and turf iron have allowed the team to increase the quality of the greens and the Toyota truck has now become irreparable and has been replaced with the Toro Workman. The knotweed issue is currently still ongoing due to waste issues making areas inaccessible. The clearance of these areas which is underway will hopefully allow the sign off to happen in The Club should then get a 10 year warranty on the knotweed work that has been completed once the sign off is achieved. One of the main greens projects for the coming year will be the introduction of a washdown bay. This will stop contamination of chemicals into the ground and ensure the Club is compliant with regulations. It is also hoped it will assist with the maintenance of the machinery and keep them to a better standard. Funds have had to be allocated for this project to be completed within the coming year. The introduction of an apprentice greenkeeper had been agreed in principle, however due to the weather experienced and anticipated closures, the funds are now being redirected to enhance the drainage system on the course. We are at the mercy of the weather and Three Pools being drained to a certain degree but we are looking to make any improvements we can to give the course the best chance of draining. The new gorse plantation has been completed and a warning that the planned winter work programme may get a little behind this year due to the scarcity of re-vetting turf available after areas of Cumbria were flooded earlier in the year. The greens staff are now spreading their 40 hour working week over a full 5 day period rather than the previous 4 ½ days. 2

3 Thanks was given to Mr Peter Coghlan and the volunteer working party for their assistance over the course of the year. Their little jobs are nothing but a big help. Mrs D Vickers reported as Chair of House: The allocated budget for the year was less than requested but they have managed to stay within it. There have been changes to the budgeted items which now fall into the house heading but the allocation of budget has increased to accommodate this. Over the course of the last year they have completed general repairs and maintenance such as the kitchen deep clean and general bar and catering repairs. The bar and kitchen have had various new items purchased. The snooker table has been recovered and a maintenance program put in place, with new lighting also completed. House worked very closely with the Chair who had previously been house chair when the refurbishment was completed to iron out the snags such as the issue with the carpet and the castors on the tub chairs. These have now been repaired to an acceptable standard. The ridge tile repairs to the club roof have also now been completed. For future projects house are looking to fund half the cost of the furniture for the new members patio area, reflag around the main entrance to the clubhouse, lighting in the bunker bar, re-carpet the men s corridor and locker room and board out the loft adding lights and a ladder to increase storage. The budget looks healthier this year but does have to incorporate items not previously dealt with such as Sky etc. Thanks to the all the volunteers who have helped, also Mr Andy Shaw and Mrs Jeanette Fairhurst. Finally the house committee for their time and contributions. The Chairman went on to pass comment about the great social scene that the Club has and the great quality and numbers fielded by the seniors section of our Club when other clubs struggle to field a team and we could put forward three. The seniors section has had a massive take up and good luck to the new Seniors Captain for the coming year. The Junior section have had 25 competitions this year and free Get Into Golf coaching sessions were put on over August to encourage new young members to the club, many of whom had never played golf before. This venture saw approximately new potential junior members. The junior team have had an excellent record this year and got through to the last 16 in one of the National competitions, well done to them and the Junior Captain Mr Jonathan Shaw on this year s achievements including his personal victory in the Lancashire Under 16 s Championship. Thanks to the Captains for the hard work over the year. One had been riding up mountains and the other had jumped off one, in order to raise lots of money for some great causes. Also congratulations to the President for her 2 years of service. Chairman explained the contents of the voting forms for the meeting and moved onto the approval of the previous minutes. 2. Approval of the Minutes of the Extraordinary General Meeting held on Wednesday 04 October

4 The draft minutes of the Extraordinary General Meeting had been available for members to read on the Club Website and the Minutes File. These were approved as a correct record by a show of hands by the members present. 3. Approval of the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday 07 December The draft minutes of the Annual General Meeting had been available for members to read on the Club Website and the Minutes File. These were approved as a correct record by a show of hands by the members present. 4. Matters Arising There were no matters arising under the EGM minutes. Mr J Melvin enquired as to the 2016 corporation tax matter and whether or not this had been resolved and paid. The Treasurer responded that the liable amount of 11 had been settled. The other outstanding possible liability in relation to external trading was still ongoing and this matter will be followed up to ensure any liability was known about. 5. Statement of Accounts and Balance Sheet as at 31 August 2017 and the report of the Accountants The Treasurer s Report had been laid out slightly different this year, with some covering information that hopefully assisted members when looking at the financial statements. Treasurer s Report on 2016/2017 In broad terms we met our overall Budget for 2016/17, although as usual, this was through a combination of an upside in some areas being matched by a downside elsewhere. I have set out the key highlights below: Income (i) Subscriptions and Entry Fees Our aggressive Subscription budget level saw a shortfall while Entry Fees were up on budget. This year we need to consider how best to boost the subscription income levels. (ii) Green Fees - Following discussion at the AGM last year, the Council took the decision to increase the price of standard green fees. Despite (and possibly because of) the increase, income has fallen by 10% and we expect this trend to continue into next year. This was particularly disappointing as we hoped to take advantage of the Open being held at Birkdale with some intensive advertising both before and after the event. (iii) Bar and Catering Income - This has been a reasonably successful year from an income perspective although the Bar income does include coffee machine and so is a little distorting. In the main, this is due to a slight increase in external functions, rather than increased use by the members. Nevertheless, the income is very welcome as additional profits from these departments help to subsidise the cost of members subscriptions. (iv) Income: Other - This was in line with expectations. 4

5 Expenditure (i) Bar Purchases - Despite the similarity in bar sales, the cost of purchases was in line with budget and this meant a slight but welcome improvement in margins. (ii) Catering Purchases appear over budget due to allocation of spend normally under House that isn t cost of stock but from a direct cost of stock margin are around 0.5% over budget. Very close really despite over 17,000 varying till transactions and 200 functions with varying price and attendance levels. (iii) Salaries a. Wages for both Bar and Catering are higher than budgeted and will need to be closely monitored in the future despite sales being slightly increased. The Living Wage has obviously impacted this and will continue to impact on these services. b. Wages for Admin are on a par with last year despite a projected increase. c. Greens Wages are clearly up on the previous year as we are now back to a full complement of three plus the Ranger. Last year I said that Members would see the benefit of investments in the club and this is shown in the reduction of the House expenditure. Although through the year some spend hasn t been actioned despite hoping to be and other areas of spend have been identified which will hopefully be carried out over the next 8 months. Now that we have a full team on Greens, expenditure has increased on the course and we are starting to see the benefits of that investment as well. We now believe the problems we had with our Utilities suppliers have been overcome, but in turn this has resulted in a substantial increase over last year s expenditure, The increase that appears over last year is partially an invoice date overrun and also the fact we received c 3k in a refund during last year against previous invoice issues which unbalance the figures. Our kwh usage remains fairly consistent. We did however allow for the figure in our Proposed Budget for the year. The increase in the hire of equipment is due to an increase in both Sky & BT Sport & purchase of a new coffee machine. Overall Comments The accounts show that we have again generated a very small surplus. This isn t a cash surplus, in fact on a cash basis the year did show a small loss. We also, as mentioned did not carry out some items of capital investment and also our security fund was not increased, which if carried out would have increased our actual cash loss for the year. This I will again cover in my Proposed Subscription Report and the Budget for next year. Mr J Melvin enquired into relationship between numbers of functions and increased staff numbers within the catering department and as to why there had been a sharp increase in the wage costs within this area over the last year. The Treasurer advised that the increase had been mainly in relation to the sickness of the Catering Manager over the year for which they had paid sick pay and replacement cover which had doubled the cost of staffing over a 12 week period. He also advised that there was a general increase due to the national minimum and living wages increase. Mr J Melvin then went on to ask K.A.Farr why the cost of the accounts had increased when the club had introduced Sage and other computerised systems which reduce the work required from them to complete the annual accounts. He felt that it should be halved. 5

6 K.A.Farr responded by assuring Mr J Melvin that what had been implicated would bring down future costs after the setting up stage but this wouldn t be until next year. The Chairman requested a show of hands to accept the approval of the Statement of Accounts and Balance Sheet this was accepted by the room. 6. Election of Accountants The re-appointment of K A Farr (who had supported the Club for 25 years) as our accountants for 2017/2018 was proposed by Mr J R Exley and seconded by Mr A Pilkington (Gent s Captain). This was unanimously carried. The Ladies Captain then presented Kath Farr with a bouquet of flowers. 7. Council Proposal for the Level of Subscriptions 2018 Treasurer s Subscription & Budget report: The Budget process has been particularly difficult this year, with both Greens and House seeking funds to allow for additional investment in facilities. As ever, we are constrained by our limited financial resources, and whilst we have decided to once again, dip into our previous year surpluses to find capital purchases, we need to ensure that we have some contingency available and as result: (a) Some activities have by necessity been postponed until the following year; and (b) We have had to be a little more creative in our thinking around subscriptions and income in general. Income (i) Subscriptions - We propose the following increase: a. 20 per playing category Colts and above, b. 10 per Country Member with c. No increase for Juniors / Intermediate / Deferred and House Members. The 20 increase equates to less than 40p per week 1/3 of the cost of a cup of coffee. (ii) Lockers & Trolleys Council are looking to increase Large Lockers by 10 and Small by 5. The Trolley Store will remain 5 for 2018, although as a problem area that is still to be remedied, this will need increasing at some point. (iii) Bar & Catering - You will see that we have erred on the cautious side and believe that this number is achievable. In addition: a. We plan to increase the base price for drinks, however, members will receive an increase in their discount, so there is minimal net impact on members, but we hope to see an increase in generated revenue from external functions. b. We propose to add a charge of 50 to each invoice for playing members other than Juniors. This amount will be credited to each individual s swipe card in the Bar & Catering purse to encourage more members to support the club socially. This again equates to less than the cost of one cup of coffee per week and is a figure that most people comfortably spend anyway. Expenditure 6

7 (i) Greens a. The major capital item for the year is the installation of a fully compliant equipment wash down area at a budgeted cost in excess of 20,000. b. Greens having originally felt a desire to, have now decided that the employment of an Apprentice is no longer a priority and following a substantial increase in rainfall recently, a considerable spend must be made to improve drainage throughout the course. Thus the funds allocated in our initial draft for the Apprentice will be used towards a drainage project. (ii) House A number of miscellaneous expenditure items have now been allocated under House s umbrella for their departmental control. Where in previous years items such as Light & Heat, Cleaning, TV & Sky etc. are shown as a detailed expenditure, these will be contained under the main headings within direct expenses etc. BT Sport has now been cancelled, thus helping with a small saving in the new House Budget. However the financing of a new Gas Boiler has been accounted for in anticipation of this being replaced in General Comments You will see from the Proposed Budget that we are now fully integrated in the use of Sage for all our accounting procedures. It is hoped next year our accounts set up will be changed to mirror our projections plus showing us a saving on accountant s charges. The new structured system gives the management much more information when required as well. I would hope that with our usual intensive monitoring of our income and costs across all headings, we will reach our goals. I would therefore recommend the proposed levels of subscription to you and look forward to your constructive comments and questions at the AGM. Council put forward the proposal of subscription increase as defined in the calling notice. The room voted in favour of this by a large majority. It was then summarised by The Chairman that this also included the addition of 50 to the food & beverage card and the increase of locker fees. The room was not happy that these items had been put together. Mr A Caddick added that he felt it was underhanded that the items had been put together and wished for the vote to be reopened to allow them to discuss and vote on the items as separate instances. The Chairman took a vote on the reopening of this item which was carried. The Subscription increase alone was voted and accepted by the room. The next item to be opened was the increase in the locker fees. Mr D Nothard asked why there was an increase in the cost as he could not see that they had cost the club any money since they had been paid for when they arrived and no maintenance had been carried out on them over the years. The response from the Treasurer was that it was adding to club funds as a general cost to balance the books and there had been no increase in this area for many years. Large lockers to increase by 10 per annum and small to increase by 5 per annum. Treasurer was asked to clarify large and small due to there being 3 sizes of lockers clarification was small being a shoe locker and large being a locker which can accommodate golf clubs. Vote was taken via a show of hands which was carried by a majority. The Treasurer explained the 50 food & beverage voucher would be added to the annual bill and was being done to encourage members to support the club house and the facilities within it. This 7

8 change would also encompass the use of tokens for the coffee machine for those who did not attend the club when the bar and catering facilities were open. The question was raised on how many members did not currently spend within the club but the Treasurer was unable to answer this question with any accuracy but advised there were a good number. Treasurer was asked whether this would be placed on all membership categories to which he answered this would not be the case and it would only apply to golfing categories. The matter of a use or lose credit was then debated as the room questioned will the money not spent be retained on the card for future use after year end. Council s preference was to use it or lose it, otherwise it is a pointless exercise. The Treasurer put this back to the members present and asked them to decide if this was the way forward for this matter. Mr A Richardson spoke to the room in relation to this and showed that most people spent more than this very easily throughout the year and that the great facilities that it supported needed to be protected and funded to keep them at the service levels expected by the majority of the members. Mrs V Thomas also took the floor and advised that many store chains such as John Lewis have an expiry date on credits such as vouchers and this system seemed to be the same principle. Mr J Doran asked whether there would be any leeway for new members who join the club part way through the year as the proposal was for the amount to run from January to December with the subscription year. Chairman advised will only run from the January to December so will affect the full year of membership and not the initial swipe card taken on entry for new members. Mr C Dickinson asked were the funds would go if not used and would they become part of a contingency fund. He felt it would be good to show how much it has brought in at the year end. Treasurer replied that funds would be used for improvements and the good of the club. Mr F Adamson did not agree with this and advised he saw this as the club dictating how people spend their money. Mr J Doran then asked if the funds could be used towards competition entries. This was advised as not being possible and could only be spent on food & beverage. Mrs I Connor enquired as to what would happen if someone left the club part way through the year. She was advised that any money left on the card would be forgone but this eventuality could be discussed by Council. Chairman then put this vote to the room to carry this item on a use or lose basis, room voted in favour of this action by a large majority and it will now be effective from 1 st January The Chairman apologised for the earlier confusion on the amalgamation of items and looked to move on with the meeting. Mr J R Exley commented that the proposed bar and catering price increases mentioned in the budget report should not affect the members as the last time this happened and they were told it was to increase turnover from outside functions he believes members were also subjected to a 25-30% increase in costs, although the proposed increase to decrease was around 10%. Treasurer advised that the prices of the catering were discussed and agreed in much detail but he would look into Mr J R Exley s claimed increase and speak with him at a future point once the information had been reviewed. The General Manager also agreed to discuss the pricing with Mr J R Exley. 8. Proposals and Rule Changes At the EGM held on 04 October 2017, most of the new rule changes were covered and agreed. One item reached no agreement at this meeting and was revisited here for Rule 8. The change was in relation to part 3 of this rule: monthly instalments. It was put to the members present that the Council looked to use an external Direct Debit company to take away the burden of 8

9 running our own scheme. As a rule change this required two thirds of the members present to agree. Proposal for Rule Change options a and b remain the same 8.3 c.) In monthly instalments by regular payments commencing in January. Council will discuss & agree potential schemes annually. This may be via a third party facilitator. Members who wish to pay using this method must complete the appropriate forms by 14th January each year. The rule change was voted in by 41 of the members present to none against. 9. Election of Officers The Chairman announced the nominations and the following were elected. Gentlemen s Captain - Mr K Rimmer Ladies Captain - Mrs S O Connor Gentlemen s Vice-Captain - Mr D Walshe Ladies Vice-Captain - Mrs M Cunliffe Treasurer - Mr J K Hall 10. Election of Council Members A ballot was opened up and the nominations to fill the 4 vacancies on Council were Mrs R Bamber, Mr C Dickinson, Mr L Mann, Mr J Trail and Mrs N Walmsley. All candidates were allowed to give a brief introduction of themselves and to explain how they feel they would be an excellent candidate to be on Council. After a ballot Mrs R Bamber, Mr C Dickinson, Mr L Mann & Mr J Trail were elected for 2 years. There was only one nomination for Treasurer, Mr J Hall and so a show of hands ratification was carried out with a large majority in favour and none against. 11. Any Other Pre Notified Business There was no pre notified business to discuss. In closing the Chairman Mr Mann, wished to thank Mrs N Walmsley for her desire to be involved with Council. Also a big thank you to Mr S Leddy, Mr J Ogden and Mrs L Staniforth retiring from Council for their time spent on it. They have been great assets in the work they have done. All volunteers throughout the Club give great help in fulfilling a multitude of tasks. Finally thanking the members for their attendance tonight and advised that the door was open for them to come forward with any ideas they had in relation to the club. The meeting was then closed at 9.10pm. 9